By Alma L. Tingcang
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay - The Commission on Elections here has set the deadline for
registration of voters on October 31, 2015, with no extension.
This was learned from Ms. MonyeenCrestita G. Magallon, Election Officer
III of COMELEC Ipil in an interview with PIA.
Magallon said total number of registered voters as of July 20, 2015
Election Registration Board (ERB) hearing was 42,412 with 64 clustered
precincts. According to the lady chief, 4.9 percent have no biometrics.
With the signing of Republic Act No. 10367 into law on February 15, 2013
by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, the absence of biometrics in a voter’s
registration record has become an additional ground for deactivation.
Voters who would fail to submit themselves for validation between May 6,
2014 to October 31, 2015 would cause COMELEC to deactivate their registration
record. This would mean that these deactivated voters will not be allowed to
vote in the May 2016 elections.
Pursuant to RA 10367, validation is the process of digitally capturing a
voter’s photograph, fingerprints and signature to complete his registration
record.
“Those voters who are in the list with no biometrics will be deleted
from the list, so what will appear on the election day computerized voters’
list are only the registered voters with biometrics,”Magallon said.
“COMELEC Ipil is open from Monday to Friday while every Saturday, we go
to far-flung barangays to conduct registration. To date, we have covered 20
barangays,” according to Magallon.
She said on April 20, 2015, during the ERB hearing, about 11,000
registered voters were deleted from the list due to failure to vote for the
past 2 elections.
“The filing of
certificates of candidacy will be on October 12-16, 2015 and to give time for
COMELEC to receive COC, the continuing registration will be suspended on these
dates,” she informed.
This is part of the
COMELEC’s drive to register more first-time voters and reach out to those who
lack biometrics data.